NA Limited Edition handling

Purfler · Postby **Purfler** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:30 am

In looking for something else entirely I found this statement:

"I was thinking of putting the BBS's back on for the sale of the car because of the Limited Edition aspect but I took them off about a year after I got the car because the car was really tail happy on the corners with them on which is why I went with the 16" rims it has been very stable ever since. I bought the car as a daily driver not to be a drift king. With the 16" low profile tyres the car sticks to the corners really well, the ride is a lot smoother and the steering is really responsive, it was an immediately noticable difference when I got them."

see: viewtopic.php?f=73&t=53308&p=671011&hilit=brake+master+cylinder#p671011

I have also have '93 LE with the BBS wheels. It came with Trampios, which I changed (to RE01s) after entering Macquarie Street (Sydney) one morning at peak hour sideways. The road was slightly damp and I was not doing anything stupid, it just let go. My daughter, who I was driving to school, still talks about it. I assumed that the tyres had gone hard - they were quite old but had done very few Kms as the guy I bought the car from drove it on Sundays (serioulsy, and I don't mean at Eastern Creek).

It is still twitchy and I'm VERY careful in the wet. Any thoughts, comment, experience with this. Is it the wheels?

Regards,

Tim

Postby **NitroDann** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:59 am

Its the fact that its an oldschool sports car, no electronic aides, and if you ask it to step out it will.

Its just doing what its told, mx5's are all the same. (real ones not NC's)

Dann

plohl · Postby **plohl** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:12 pm

No.

The limited ed wheels are 14x6 or 15x6 - old mate went from a 14" with 185/60R14 tyres to 16x6.5's with 205/45R16 tyres. The improved stability hasn't come from the wheels, but the increase in thread width.

Are you running the 14" wheels? (I am assuming yes?)

I have the 14" wheels on my car and use a set of 15x8's for the track. The 14" wheels have shitty bob jane tyres on them are are rubbish in the wet. I found even in the dry the tyres were prone to loosing traction. I solved the problem by decreasing the tyre pressures to 28pis. They still slip and slide in the wet, I just adjust my driving to suit the conditions.

Is the rest of the car stock? Or are there other modifications to suspension?

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:13 pm

Purfler wrote:It is still twitchy and I'm VERY careful in the wet. Any thoughts, comment, experience with this. Is it the wheels?

An NA is not twitchy by nature and handles neutrally unless you push past that point accidentally (back off mid corner) or deliberately put the boot in (brake or throttle) at the wrong time.
Get a good wheel alignment - avoid the tyre places and go to one of the suspension/alignment specialists people on here go to in your area.
Check your tyre pressures - some have them set far too high.
I don't know if RE01s are particularly good but others here who have them on an NA might chime in.

sailaholic · Postby **sailaholic** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:15 pm

Dann is correct to a certain extent. However tire pressures and wheel alignment and suspension setup can change how willing it is to swing the tail out or how savagely it will do it.

I generally find mine needs a fit bit of provoking to get tail happy except one time which I attributes to leaves mid corner and too high a tire pressure.

Having dríven a na with the 14 inch bbs on it with budget ish tires, it can be provoked into oversteer fairly easily in the wet, but does need provoking. The 14 inch rims aren't holding the car back except by the dollars spent on tires.

Have you had any track or skidpan experience so you are aware of the feedback the car will give close to that point?

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mazmad · Postby **mazmad** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:05 pm

They should be fairly neutral unless you are being savage with it, first suspect would be tyres - which you have addressed, wheel alignment definitely next. Does it have standard suspension - sway bars set hard (and I can vouch for this personally.....

) will definitely require a higher degree of focus.

project.r.racing · Postby **project.r.racing** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:11 pm

low power car breaking out? look and tyres and tyre pressures, then alignment and alignment parts.

Purfler · Postby **Purfler** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:03 pm

Thanks all for the very useful comments. The car is basically stock, the shock have been replaced - but I don't recall the brand but I recall they are a standard replacement for OEM. Type pressure 26 psi I've always been thingy about this and carry my own guage. There is no sign of any uneven tyre wear but I will get an alignment. I'm in East Ryde in Sydney, any suggestions.

Thanks Dann for the reminder about old school sports cars

I suspect I'm a bit older than you might think (I still have my first car, a 68' Datsun 2000 Sports - in bits it has to be said - which doesn't even have power brakes :wink:

)

I would very much like to get on a skid pan or track to explore the handling somewhere with nothing to hit.

Regards and thanks again,

TIm

sailaholic · Postby **sailaholic** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:25 pm

These cars show poor handling well before bad tire wear.

The usual Sydney suspects are heasmens? Steering and suspension or spinning wheels.

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manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:30 pm

In terms of good predictable handling you've probably got the best wheels that Mazda ever put on an MX5. Lower profile tyres on bigger, heavier rims will not have more grip and will let go faster and with less warning than what you have now.

Yes, MX5s have old school handling. They are very sensitive to tyre hardness, quality and pressure. It's illegal to fit tyres over 5 years old to normal cars. It should be 3 years for MX5s - they absolutely hate old hardened tyres. All tyres have date of manufacture stamped on them as WWYY. In the sample shot this is 2309, which means that they were made in the 23rd week of 2009.

If it's much over the 3 years then save them for your skidpan training.

sailaholic · Postby **sailaholic** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:35 pm

Illegal to fit or have fitted? Ie if they were 4 years when the went on, do you have to use them for 1 year only?

Is that legislation in all states. I didn't know about it but certainly interesting.

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Purfler · Postby **Purfler** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:37 pm

Thanks again. My memory is that the Trampios were about 5 years old, but with very little wear. BTW when I checked the pressure after I bought the car they were over 40PSI! I have no idea why he had them so high. They were 26psi when I found they had no grip in the damp.

Tim

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:02 pm

sailaholic wrote:Illegal to fit or have fitted? Ie if they were 4 years when the went on, do you have to use them for 1 year only?

Is that legislation in all states. I didn't know about it but certainly interesting.

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Illegal to fit ... but I don't know how I know this.

project.r.racing · Postby **project.r.racing** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:24 pm

someone wanna link us to a possible rule. this is news to many. google is getting me nothing.

Purfler · Postby **Purfler** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:28 pm

manga_blue wrote:
sailaholic wrote:Illegal to fit or have fitted? Ie if they were 4 years when the went on, do you have to use them for 1 year only?

Is that legislation in all states. I didn't know about it but certainly interesting.

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Illegal to fit ... but I don't know how I know this.

The NSW RTA (as was) doesn't seem to cover age in its wheel and tyre info: http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registration/ ... 9_rev4.pdf

Irrelevant, but I saw a German car show on TVS - Drive It! - which I'm sure had a segment on tyre age and that it was illegal in Germany (and the EU?) to use old tyres. My former next door neighbour is a journo and worked for one of the TV companies in current affairs. He did a story a couple of years ago on tyre age and the importation of new old stock tyres.

Tim